Recovery Gear - Safety Tips

SAFETY TIPS

Like any product that is used for vehicle recovery, the vehicle operator or persons responsible for vehicle recovery should inspect slings for wear, cuts, abrasions or punctures. For metal hardware, inspect for metal distortion, fatigue or damage before all recovery operations.Inspect all products regularly for any signs of visible damage, cracks, wear elongation, rust, etc. Should a product be judged defective, "destroy it", rather than discard, to prevent further hazard if used by someone without such knowledge.

THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE
FOR PRE-VEHICLE RECOVERY INSPECTION!!!

PROTECT AGAINST INJURY
To protect against injury, always ensure that recovery operations are conducted in such a manner that in the event of equipment failure, no persons are in the line of force of any load.

NEVER EXCEED WORKING LOAD LIMITS
- - READ WARNINGS AND CAUTIONS - -

WORKING LOAD LIMIT
Never exceed Working Load Limit (WLL). The Working Load Limit is the maximum load which should ever be applied to the product. All Working Load Limits are based on straight-line pulls and normal environmental conditions. When unusual conditions exist, such as extreme low or high temperatures, chemical solutions or vapors, prolonged emersion or exposure to salt water, etc., such conditions may necessitate reductions of the Working Load Limit. Working Load Limits will not apply to any product that has been welded or otherwise altered.

AVOID SHOCK LOADS
Working Load Limits do not apply to shock loads. Avoid impacting, jerking, or swinging of a load.

MATCH COMPONENTS PROPERLY
Be sure that all components or fittings, such as shackles, hooks, links, and vehicle attachment points that will be used with wire rope, chain or webbing are properly installed and equally matched to Working Load Limit to provide adequate safety protection.

Always consult with your winch manufacturer's owner's manual before performing any winching operations.

Never use a tow ball for recovery.

When using the Class III recovery hitch recovery point do not exceed the vehicle manufacturers maximum rating.

Always ensure that vehicle recovery attachment points are frame mounted and strong enough to be properly matched to the rest of your recovery equipment.

Always wear hand, foot and eye protection when winching.

WIRE ROPE and CABLE - INSPECTION and CAUTIONS
Don't wait until a failure occurs before examining your wire ropes and cables. Look them over at regular intervals. Look for kinks, broken wires, abrasions, lack of lubrication, rust damage, crushing, reduction in diameter, stretch or other obvious damage. When these conditions exist and there is doubt about the extent of the damage, remove the wire rope from service immediately. Always destroy, rather than discard, wire rope and cables from service so it may not be used again by someone not aware of the hazard of the defect.

Wire rope is a machine. Understand and respect it. Like any machine, it needs proper care and maintenance for optimum safety and long safety life. For a better understanding of wire rope we highly recommend the Wire Rope Manual and Wire Rope Sling Users Manual published by the Wire Rope Technical Board, P.O. Box, Stevensville, Maryland 21666

NYLON WEBBING/RECOVERY STRAPS/TREE PROTECTOR STRAPS
Always protect strap webbing from sharp edges of load. Do not attempt to use strap above rated pulling capacity. Do not use strap if capacity tag is removed. Do not expose strap to acid or temperatures above 194 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not use strap if there are any signs of cut webbing, heat or chemical damage, excessive wear or other defects. Keep all persons safely away from vehicles and strap during recovery work. Do not use for highway towing. Do not use for lifting, moving people, or attach to trailer ball. If not securely fastened, a loose strap or attachment point can become a deadly projectile.

Recovery Gear USA would like to encourage you to be kind to the environment when four wheeling. When using a tree as a winch point, make sure to protect the tree by using a tree protector strap.